Clayton Kershaw starts on Opening Day, followed by Trevor Bauer, Striker (never call him Walker) Buehler, Julio Urias and [DRUM ROLL]… Dustin May! To those of you who worried his season would be wasted on the bench: Don’t Worry! He is in the rotation and Tony Gonsolin and David Price are in the bullpen. With Jimmy Nelson in the bullpen as well, the Dodgers can save the “backend” of the bullpen as well by allowing Nelson, Gonsolin and Price to pitch multiple innings.
It’s like having three additional starters in the bullpen. Well, it’s not like that. It is that! This 2021 bullpen should be outstanding! The pen is set, except for the last spot, which is between Scott Alexander and Dennis Santana, both of whom have options left. Both will see time with the team this year – it just depends upon whether the Dodger Brass wants a LH or a RH option in the pen. The roster is set, except for that. Here’s the list:
- Smith
- Barnes
- Muncy
- Lux
- Taylor
- Seager
- Turner
- Rios
- Pollock
- Beaty
- Bellinger
- Betts
- McKinstry
- Kershaw
- Bauer
- Buehler
- Urias
- May
- Price
- Nelson
- Gonsolin
- Gonzalez
- Knebel
- Treinen
- Jansen
- Alexander or Santana
Alexander pitched last night and gave up two hits and a run, so I am guessing Santana will pitch tonight and how he pitches will decide who makes the Opening Day Roster. Good Luck Dennis! You have came a long way!
Rants & Raves
- Kaybear Ruiz will not make the squad because he only got 5 hits in 6 AB’s. He drove in 5 runs in those 6 AB’s and is OPS’ing 2.000. His bat-to-ball skills are outstanding.
- The Dodgers lineup is outstanding, but they could use another RH bat, whether that is Noisy or someone else. Matt Beaty could be headed elsewhere at some point… and that would be great for him.
- If Kenley Jansen or Clayton Kershaw decline this year, there is nothing to worry about. They have the pieces to fix it.
- Is the Bazooka going to pitch this year or were the Red Sox right about his medical records? Hummmm… The Dodgers ain’t saying.
- What about Joe Kelly? Some fans say to release him. the Dodgers have to pay him, so they might as well see if they can get anything out of him. However, at this juncture, I am not confident.
- It looks like Ross Stripling will be the 6th Starter for the Blue Jays.
Photo compliments of The LA Dodgers
Bench needs a right hand bat. Ruiz is a switch hitter. Let him play some left field in the minors.
RH bat only needed if your lefty’s off of the bench do not hit LH pitching as is still the case with Pederson who is hitting under .200 against them this spring. But McKinstry hits lefty’s well. The bench right now is Taylor, Barnes, Beaty, Rios and McKinstry. Last spot in the bullpen is the only question mark. Neuse did not impress enough to stick. He still needs a little more seasoning. Ruiz needs to play everyday, and he will do that. Remember he got to camp 3 weeks late. They are not putting him in the outfield. If AF feels the team really needs a RH bat, there are going to be plenty available. He can also fill the spot with a trade. Angels signed Cishek and Watson after they were released. Looks like King Felix is done, he was released by the Orioles as was Gordon by the Reds. 8 HR’s in two games and the offense is waking up a little. Seager hit his 8th HR of the spring. HR’s are down this spring with the new ball being used. Some balls I thought might be heading out stayed in the park. But hitting HR’s early in the year at night at Dodger Stadium has always been tough. Shades of Buehler, Ohtani leaves with blister problem
Joc is hitting a whopping .214 against lefties this Spring, same as Seager. Both have 4 RBI in their 14 ABs. Seager is a very good bet to have an great year and Joc is a decent bet to have a great year given the Spring they have had.
I think Taylor deserves to start in LF. He is better defensively in LF and has outplayed Pollock this Spring.
Mark, did you just give May a new nick name–Drum Roll?
Spring means nothing. Both are vets. Pollock has better power and has been pretty good in the outfield the last couple of years. Pollock starts simply because OF is the only position he plays. With Kike gone, Taylor’s value is being the super utility guy. He will get plenty of starts.
I like the idea of Ruiz playing some left field if only to enhance his versatility. Perhaps he could also try 3B; many catchers do.
That said, I’m not so sure another right-handed bat on the bench is all that important.
Say that Barnes starts 40% of the games, then Will Smith and Chris Taylor can come off the bench. Not shabby at all. And when Smith catches, it’s not like Barnes is totally incompetent with a bat.
Plus, Rios actually has reverse splits. (Just looked it up.) The sample size is small, but so far he’s crushed lefthanded pitching in the majors. Maybe this isn’t a fluke. And when he gets a spot start at 3B, then Turner is a great right-handed bat off the bench.
Beatty’s splits are more conventional.
As for McKinstry… we’ll see. But the bat-to-ball skills seem pretty good.
I do not think you take a catcher with Ruiz’s skills and put him in a totally foreign environment. He will be one of the catchers soon enough. He needs to play every day, sitting on the bench is not going to help him at all. At AAA, he will be the primary receiver and the first one called if something happens to Barnes or Smith. McKinstry’s splits against LH pitching in the minors are good. That is why he has been playing against all comers. unlike Kike his splits show he can hit both types of pitchers.
This team is L O A D E D
I like your optimism and I hate to be negative, but the pitching is not loaded.
1 Bauer has only had 1 good year (2018) and 1 good half year (2020) in his career.
2 Kershaw is a year older and has had to adjust to sinking velocity.
3 Jansen has the same thing going on as Kershaw, sinking velocity and a year older.
4 Nelson has only had 1 decent year in his career (2017).
5 Knebel has only had 1 good year (2017) and 1 decent year (2018) in his career.
6 That last spot on the roster that Mark pointed out, both guys are not worth a crap. But whoever gets the last spot can be used in blowout games.
7 Joe Kelly is still lurking out there and he is not worth a shit.
With all that said, this is a very good team. In my opinion the best Dodger team that I have seen since the 80’s.
Totally disagree on the pitching. Alexander got the last spot and Santana kinda got screwed but he’ll be back.
Bullpen has some potential weaknesses; I totally agree. But that spillover effect: having Gonsolin, Price & Nelson is huge. Nelson could be a key piece this year. I hope Graterol can pitch this year.
Last year we lost Ryu and Maeda and felt it in the postseason. But those no-break series were unique.
Even if overpaid, Bauer figures to be a horse and Urias Unleashed might be special. Rotation could be historically good.
Only weaknesses on this team are closer, bullpen LHP depth and one more RH bench piece.
Top to bottom this team is the best I’ve ever rooted for.
Cheers
I think the bullpen has the pieces to be good, but it’s all up to how Doc handles the bullpen. Doc said Gonsolin, Price, Nelson could all see 4 innings of work at times. I’m high on Gonsolin, I’m alright with Price, But Nelson is a question mark to me. I hope Doc leans a lot on Gonsolin and Gonzalez. Those 2 are key to the bullpen being good. I hope Doc uses Gonzalez for up to 4 innings at times like he said he would with the 3 others mentioned.
If Bauer is the real deal and Kershaw doesn’t show his age, this could be a VERY good starting rotation.
I’m high on our offense, period. It will be VERY good and probably one of the best in the N.L. Top 3 definitely, Maybe number 1.
As I said before, this is a very good team, loaded no, because the bullpen has some weaknesses and Doc needs to handle the bullpen right.
Luckily for us,, all those decisions are up to the professionals.
I guess we are loaded. It’s just the bullpen I have concerns about.
Bullpens are always a concern until they are not. We had one of the best pen’s last season, and that was proved in the playoffs, even with Jansen struggling. Kelly is going to start the season on the IL along with Graterol. You have 3 pitchers in the pen who can also start. And with the season adding 102 games this year, you are going to need all of them and probably a couple of the kids in the minors to get through the season. You should have listened to Friedman last night lay out what their plan is. Made tons of sense.
Do you have a link to what Friedman said? I’d like to read, watch, listen to it.
If you have MLB.TV, you can watch a replay of the game. They interviewed AF during the second inning of last nights game.
Damn I don’t have MLB.TV. I have the MLB channel on my TV but that won’t do me any good for this. Thanks anyways.
Hey Quas
Just saw your message and offer 2 days ago. Thank you so much! That is an insanely nice thing to offer. It would be fun to go to a game with you and discuss this blog.
In fact, can’t wait until we all leach off of Mark and stuff 60 of us in his suite at Dodger Stadium.
Yes this team is loaded and ready…
But you know what?? I’m really happy for Doc… He has escaped the constant criticism he endured last year and I hope him and his shrink are ready for the season…
Read the Mets offered Linder a 10 year 325 million dollar contract. He countered with 12 year 385 million.
If my numbers are correct, Mookie got 12/365 from us at the same age. Is Lindor worth more than Mookie? Even though he plays a more important position I’d still rather have Mookie.
Mookie has built a 45 bWAR career in about 3400 at bats whereas Lindor has about a 26 bWAR career in about 3100 at bats. If you believe that WAR is an effective measuring stick, it isn’t even close.
I agree. Nothing against Linder but I’d rather have Mookie too. What these negotiations are doing is setting a floor for Seager.
I still expect Lindor to sign in the next two days. How much more does anyone need to live his life than 325 million, but I assume Cohen will throw a little more at him so that they both come out feeling like winners.
If Lindor turns down the Mets offer and has another off year, he could really hurt his bargaining position this winter in the free agent market. But maybe he’s a gambler at heart because if he has a really good year, he might get pretty close to 400 million.
I wonder if AF and Seager’s camp have had any conversations at all about an extension.
It is called greed. Most players want to make as much as they can before they retire. No disrespect to Lindor, but I do not think he is worth Mookie money. His production last season was way below what you would expect. And Mookie on the other hand was a sparkplug on a championship team. Mets are still pretenders until they prove they can beat the Braves in the East. And the Braves are loaded.
Yep.
“Seager is the third best shortstop in the Division so he should be paid commensurately. Fork you Bora$$. “
That’s my opening salvo to the horned one.
Has Ruiz’ clock started? Why would the team start his MLB time in LF?
No, he has appeared in about 6 games.
May is no surprise. He has stuff as good as anybody on this staff.
We will see a lot of movement through the course of the year. I figure at least 8 different starters. And there are sticks o’plenty throughout the organization. Yes, this team is loaded. We SHOULD be favored and we are.
I had Ruiz and Smith last year. Ruiz is ready.
For those of you who miss Alanna Rizzo, she’s going back to her old stomping grounds at MLB network. Before she joined the Dodgers she was a regular on Intentional Talk (Millar and Rose). She will now be a “regular contributor” on Chris “Mad Dog” Russo’s show. If you can’t handle Russo, it’s going to be hard to sit through his screaming waiting for Alanna to show up, but if you like the Mad Dog, this will just be something else to look forward to.
Before she joined the Dodgers, she worked for the Rockies. I know because I used to see her on all of their broadcasts.
Don’t know what the timeline was but immediately before the Dodgers she worked at MLB tv with Millar and Rose (2012-13). She might have worked with the Rox at the same time or maybe just prior to that.
She actually worked for Root Sports in Denver. They are now altitude sports. She did not have the same job status she had with the Dodgers. And when she left Root Sports after the 2012 season she went to work for MLB.
According to Jorge Castillo of the LA Times, the last bullpen spot will be going to……………………………………………………….
Clem Labine. Oops, typo, Scott Alexander.
Jimmy Nelson is a late bloomer who had a good year in 2017 and has been injured since. He threw 93-94 in 2017 and is now routinely hitting 95 and Dave Roberts said this: ““I thought the stuff would play if he was healthy, as it has, but I didn’t realize the command he has of his mix. The two-seamer, the four-seamer, the slider, and the curveball. Just the command overall, he’s done a really good job, from his side sessions into the games. I’m really, really pleased.”
Jimmy may go back to starting next year, but I look for him to pitch multiple innings a lot this year.
For all we know, the Betts negotiation was exactly like the Lindor one.
Except the details weren’t leaked.
Not fair to the player.
Our guys are pros.
I still don’t understand letting Kolarek go?
Makes no sense to me.
Alexander and Gonzalez are younger. Alexander is a ground ball out waiting to happen. Kolarek had a good year, but he also loses it at times. And they traded him, so they got something back.
Return was pretty decent.
Yep, Neuse and Varland. They got Vesia and Noda for Floro. Any of youse old folks like me who have not received your stimulus yet, I just read that they should be in the bank by the 7th. Over 30 million held up because the SSA did not get the paperwork to the IRS in a timely manner.
Makes no(isy) sense to me.
It may not mean a lot, but Kolarek has a 6.75 ERA this spring. He may not make the roster… Not sure!
I’m glad to see May get a chance, he has nasty stuff and is obviously a little quirky, Darth Bozo! “Docccc, I ammm yourrrr BOZO!”
Opener is finally here, “Ladies and Gentlemen start your social distancing!”
Deeper dive into Nelson shows his spin rates improved dramatically in his breakout 2017 season. He went from innings-eater to frontline starter.
I don’t think it was a fluke. Could be some of that magic potion that Bauer uses… and who else? If MLB is really going to crack down on foreign substances, the Dodgers may have more of concern than most teams. (b
Glad to see May get the last rotation spot. He has ace potential. Props to Price for welcoming a new role.